The Alabama Crimson Tide enter Saturday’s SEC showdown with the No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels as the No. 1 team in the country but are still on upset alert.
A strong college football week three slate will feature the first marquee SEC matchup of the year when the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide travel to Oxford to take on the No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels.
Alabama’s lone blemish in 2015 was a 43-37 loss to the Rebels and the Crimson Tide also fell 23-17 in Oxford two years ago. Ole Miss is only the second team to beat Nick Saban in consecutive games since he’s been the coach at Alabama, and will look to become the first to win three straight on Saturday.
The Crimson Tide opened as an 8.5 point road favorite, but will not be taking this matchup with a talented Rebels team lightly. With an outstanding performance from quarterback Chad Kelly and a bit of luck, the Rebels can make it three in a row against Saban.
Ole Miss is still loaded with talent
Last season’s 10-3 Sugar Bowl champion Ole Miss squad was likely the best we will see in the Hugh Freeze era, at least from a raw talent standpoint. The Rebels lost a few key players to the NFL over the offseason, including Laquon Treadwell, Laremy Tunsil and Robert Nkemdiche.
That’s not to mention all the off-the-field issues, including NCAA violations that resulted in the loss of 11 scholarships. The investigation is still ongoing meaning Ole Miss could be penalized further, and it’s fair to wonder where the program will stand under Freeze in the near future.
However, the Rebels are well-equipped to handle such losses, at least for the 2016 season. The Rebels are led by Kelly, the best quarterback in the SEC, and have a very talented supporting cast around him.
While Nkemdiche was Ole Miss’ best defender in terms of raw talent, the Land Shark defense could be just as disruptive in 2016 as it returns the five most productive members of the front seven and both starting quarterbacks. Even if things came crashing down in the second half, the early stages of the Florida State game showed Ole Miss’ defense can stand up to anybody.
No team is going to top Alabama’s talent, but Ole Miss is one of the few teams in the nation that is at least close enough to challenge the Crimson Tide.
Next: Chad Kelly's dynamic playmaking ability